RNA – In his Friday prayer sermon to a large and fervent crowd of believers at Qom’s Qods Prayer Hall on the first day of the solemn month of Muharram, Ayatollah Ali-Reza Arafi expressed that Ashura should inspire the struggle against oppression in the new age and noted, “Mourning for Imam Husayn should be revolutionary and based on revolutionary values, martyrdom and sacrifice… The Islamic Revolution of Iran was formed in the light of Ashura and in the mourning ceremonies and we must remember [the late founder of Iran’s Islamic Revolution] Imam Khomeyni and the martyrs and the transcendent values of the Islamic Revolution.”
The head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran celebrated Holy Defense Week, which is an annual commemoration of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War saying, “The Sacred Defense must be manifested in a intelligent and accurate way and our mourning shouldn’t be separate from other religious issues and religious teachings.”
He continued, saying, “The Sacred Defense is an extension of Ashura in the present era. The Sacred Defense was resistant against the division of the country and against the enemies’ plots to besiege the Islamic Revolution. The Sacred Defense produced a new model of resistance and defense and this same model has spread to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and other resistant countries and the hegemonic powers have been hit with strong blows there.”
Referring to the ongoing tragedy against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority, Ayatollah Arafi said, “Muslims are a minority who have fallen victim to the economic wars of the superpowers, and today we are witnessing very unusual and ruthless actions. This is not a religious or sectarian war because the army and the government are participating in the oppression. Unfortunately, the international community has also been silent. We condemn this incident and we hope that serious legal action will be taken.”
Referring to the appalling words of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at the United Nations General Assembly, he said, “Such statements are reminiscent of the clamour and aggression of his predecessors. Today, the Americans have launched a commotion which has been chronicled in their involvement in over 100 wars in the past 70 years. These are the same Americans who have intervened in various parts of the world, without any legal means, have supported cruel and tyrannical regimes and have produced weapons of mass destruction.”
The head of al-Mustafa International University said, “The government that has committed such crimes today is blatantly claiming that during the election campaign, [Trump] made the black and dark cases of the United States clearer. This government has supported various massacres and crimes. Of course, the presidents of this government all had different forms and there were differences in their mannerisms but the governing body of their souls was tyranny, oppression and arrogance.”
Ayatollah Arafi continued, “The American president is a wicked human being who uses the mannerisms of a gangster. Today from Qom, where fifty years ago, Imam Khomeyni said that the Iranian nation is hated by the United States and its rulers and all of the Iranian people condemn these rude words and shout ‘Death to America’ with all their might.”
The member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom addressed the arrogant leaders of the United States, especially the United States, “Make no mistake. All groups among the Iranian people will stand behind the orders of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution [Ayatollah Khamenei] against the harsh words, ignorant stances and against the ruthless ruling body of the world and your dreams will go to your grave and disturbed sleep will never change.”
He added, “Today, the Islamic Resistance Front has defeated the arrogant powers in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon and in the future they will also stand against the tyranny and excesses of the enemies and mercenaries and with God’s grace, they will make them hopeless.”
Ayatollah Arafi said, “The brave, devoted and resistant youth are the children of the Islamic Revolution and students of the school of Ashura and despite these unfounded remarks, we will never retreat in our missile and defense industries. The government and the nation must place the resistance economy, the culture of resistance and resistance diplomacy on the agenda and with the grace of God, we will advance in all fields and frustrate the enemies.”
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